Suffering and Hope

Today my wife and I hung a new painting on our wall.

With bright acrylic colors it depicts a brown rocky landscape, green hills and a bright blue river rushing out of the hills towards you. Its title is 'Ceaseless Hope'.

I love it for the colors and the title and the story behind the painting.

For some reason I find the theme of hope one of the most energizing principles of life.

In his 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl describes what he observed as a Jewish doctor in the horrors of Auschwitz. It was often the prisoners who found some meaning, some purpose or reason for hope who survived. Those who lost hope died. Frankl concluded that life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death.

Life can get discouraging no matter how comfortable our situation happens to be. Failures and opposition, obstacles, fatigue, criticism and stress can overwhelm us.

St Paul faced enormous resistance and hostility, but he drew hope from the immense love of God and found joy even in suffering since it had was often the means of producing endurance and strength of character, and ultimately a deep confident hope. This hope, he wrote will not lead to disappointment because we know how dearly God loves us and pours his love into our hearts by his Spirit (Romans 5:3-5).

That’s where the title of our new painting, “Ceaseless Hope”, comes from, and it comes out of personal suffering. Robyn Sand Anderson is a Minnesota painter who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, a very painful disease with no cure. For an artist that means not just physical pain, but artistic frustration. Suffering, she says, comes in many forms, physical emotional and spiritual.

Her illness and disability made her more aware of the suffering of others, and it took her into a study of lament and hope. She said “if I do get better some day and am able to paint again, I would like to speak out for those who suffer, especially those who suffer silently.” As part of an exhibit called “Contrasts: Suffering and Hope” this painting certainly does that.

Much of Robyn’s art flows from her faith; her hope, she says, is that her paintings invite people to think about their place in the universe, their connection to God and the earth. Robyn, thanks for persevering and for affirming so vibrantly God’s gift of ceaseless hope.